Andy Carroll has been challenged to prove he deserves a new deal by Manuel Pellegrini with the West Ham striker's current £90,000-a-week contract expiring in six months.
Marko Arnautovic's hamstring injury will see the Austrian sidelined until 2019 and Carroll's substitute cameo against Cardiff on Tuesday night was his first appearance since last May.
West Ham have the option to extend Carroll's contract by two years but are yet to decide whether to keep the 29-year-old, who turns 30 in January.
His recent ankle injury ruled him out for four months and Pellegrini is set to give the striker chances to impress from the bench, starting tomorrow against Crystal Palace.